Tokunoshima Tokushukai Hospital in Kagoshima began operating its EMR system on 1 July. Replacing paper charts is expected to improve efficiency and the quality of care by making information sharing smoother.

Preparations began in March, including installation of EMR servers and workstations. With the cooperation of all staff, the hospital then carried out simulations before launching in July.

Kazuya Kamikawa, Deputy Supervisor and Systems Engineer in the medical administration section, who led implementation, says: “Our experience of introducing order entry for tests and prescriptions in 2007, together with support from Tokushukai Information System, Inc. (TIS), helped us introduce the EMR more smoothly than we had expected.”

The hospital also installed automated payment machines. Together with EMR-related efficiency improvements, these are expected to shorten waiting times. EMRs are also planned for the island's Isen and Higashi Amagi clinics in September, enabling smoother sharing of information between the hospital and clinics.

Source: Tokushukai Newspaper, 29 July 2013, No. 888